Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid have seen many members of their Super Bowl victories leave the Kansas City Chiefs this year. Most of these departures came before the 2024 NFL season opener, but the team added another exit halfway through the campaign.
On Tuesday, November 5—the same day of the 2024 NFL trade deadline—the Chiefs released linebacker Cole Christiansen. The move was mentioned on the daily report of league transactions on the NFL’s official website.
Christiansen, 27, joined the Chiefs in 2022 after two seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, who signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2020. Though he spent most of his time in Kansas City on the practice squad, the Virginia native got to make 12 regular season appearances with the team, six of them in the 2024 NFL season.
Reid promoted Christiansen from the practice squad to the 53-man roster on September 18 ahead of Week 3, with the 27-year-old playing 62% of the special teams snaps since then.
While releasing Christiansen means losing a player who knows the system, his exit allows the Chiefs to free up a roster spot on their active squad. According to Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest, Christiansen was immediately re-signed to the practice squad.
The Chiefs’ recent moves to help Mahomes, Reid
Even though Kansas City was cash-strapped, general manager Brett Veach found ways to help Reid and Mahomes before the trade deadline. First, the front office seized a great opportunity on the market by landing star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Shortly after that, the Chiefs made a smart and necessary move by restructuring right tackle Jawaan Taylor’s contract. That left the franchise with more wiggle room to make one last move.
With that cap space left thanks to Taylor’s restructured deal, the Chiefs traded for Patriots star Josh Uche to boost their defense. That’s why the team was relatively quiet on the deadline day, with its only move being Christiansen’s release.
Chiefs can still add another player
With only 52 players on their active roster, the Chiefs now can add another name to their squad. It remains unclear on who will occupy that spot, though. Safety Mike Edwards looked like a great option after being released by the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday, but the Super Bowl LVIII champion with the Chiefs is ultimately heading to the Tennessee Titans.
The Chiefs still have a number of players on Injured Reserve, so this open spot could be saved for whenever one of these players is ready to return. Of course, another option is to make a practice squad promotion. We’ll have to wait and see what Reid ultimately prefers. In the meantime, Mahomes and company are enjoying a perfect 8-0 start to the 2024 NFL season that boosts their Super Bowl aspirations.